Ten different sports have been showcased on NNPS-TV since 1991: football, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, soccer, gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, and track & field. And the Telecom sports production team figured it was time to add a new sport to the list.

After the excitement of the Summer Olympics in London, which featured volleyball and beach volleyball, the Telecom team decided Newport News Public Schools high-school volleyball would be the new sport to highlight on TV.

A Telecom camera operator is near the net to capture the action during the girls' game.Photos by: Brianna Menchion and Anthony Dixon

On September 20, Telecom produced and recorded the Denbigh vs. Warwick volleyball games -- both boys' and girls' -- to be broadcast on NNPS-TV. The games are airing two consecutive Fridays: September 28 and October 5.

Thirteen students participated in the broadcast, manning stations court-side, in the stands, and in the remote TV production truck.

Telecom Supervisor Ray Price was Producer, and Station Engineer Bryan Catlin worked with him and the student crew on the production. Telecom Instructor Carl Daniels shot footage to use in creating the show's intro. Bill Barlow served as Director, and Greg Bicouvaris and Nate Milton were announcers.

Both Price and Bicouvaris attributed their desire to cover volleyball to the sport's rise in popularity due to the Olympics, and also to offer an opportunity to another sport.